Another Roadside Assistance Question

[jtalka]

Greetings All;

My wife and I are embarking on a new Class A journey.  I've read a lot of material on this forum regarding Roadside Assistance and there seems to be a few good options out there.  My main question and concern is tire service...

If we get a flat or worse yet destroy a tire on the road, do these programs provide:

1 - The road side call?

2 - A replacement tire or tire/rim?

3 - Changing the bad tire/rim?

I can deal with a lot of RV stuff, plumbing, electrical, etc. but as the most of you, we do not carry a spare and do not have the tools necessary to change one in the field.

Who is the best for this kind of issue?

 

Thanks!

Joel

 

 

[hermanmullins]

Joe,

Welcome to the Forum.

Roadside Assistance ( aka RA ) Only pay for the service call and in most cases the changing or mounting a tire they do not pay for the Tire.

Herman

[wildebill308]

1 hour ago, jtalka said:

My wife and I are embarking on a new Class A journey.

Congratulations and welcome to the forum. 

Yes like Herman said Roadside Assistance Only pays for the service call anything past that is on you. So if you need a tire or more that is extra. Now if it isn't just a tire you will have the option of having them send a mecanic or having the rig towed  to a appropriate shop. Keep in mind you only get one. So if the mecanic can't fix it and you need to be towed the cost is on you.

Best recommendation read the fine print. Because the plans do varey.

Bill

[jtalka]

Thanks guys, appreciate the input...  Since most Class A's don't carry spares, how much on-site value (from RA) would you actually see if you in fact had a flat?  Seems like the best alternative is to get towed, flat and all, to a repair facility..  Am I reading this correctly?

 

[richard5933]

For a flat or even a blow-out (without ancillary damage) you can get it repaired roadside. They'll bring a tire, which you have to pay for. They can bring a wheel to o if needed. It would all depend on what and how much other damage was done by the tire failure. If you wake up one morning in a campground and discover a damaged sidewall or a flat, RA is certainly the way to go. If you have a blow-out which tears up things besides the tire, you may have no choice but to tow.

We carry a spare, but I still would call RA since I am not even going to attempt changing a 125-lb tire unless it's an emergency and there are no other options.

[ianbullock]

It's my understanding that FMCA roadside assistance will bring and mount a new tire for you on the roadside where you are.  If you do not want this service, but prefer to be towed  to a garage to have a new tire mounted there, roadside assistance will provide this service too. 

[wildebill308]

27 minutes ago, jtalka said:

Thanks guys, appreciate the input...  Since most Class A's don't carry spares, how much on-site value (from RA) would you actually see if you in fact had a flat?  Seems like the best alternative is to get towed, flat and all, to a repair facility..  Am I reading this correctly?

 

" Am I reading this correctly?" Well maybe not. When a mecanic gets into the truck and heads out on a service call (to change a tire) there is a base charge. What RA covers is the first part. If you need a tire that is extra. If you just need a tire I would not have it towed.

I recommend going to the website and reading what is included. 

https://www.fmca.com/fmca-rv-roadside-assistance

Interesting, a search brought up some numbers on what a base service call cost. 

National Average Cost‎: ‎$95, Minimum Cost‎: ‎$50, Average Range‎: ‎$75 to $125

Maximum Cost‎: ‎$300. So if you have a problem it will probably save you some time and aggravation. 

Glad you posted, Made me check and renew my RA. Did you know they have an app now.

Bill

[sallylang]

When we bought our membership to FMCA and FMCA Road Assistance we believed that FMCA was an honorable organization. We have had a very negative experience and will no longer buy a membership to FMCA. We broke down south of Topeka Kansas on a turnpike. My husband reported it was the serpentine belt. Many phone calls and texts later regarding model of motorhome, vin # of home, engine type and workhorse chassis, a repair man appeared 4 hours later. The repairman spent 1.75 hours trying to put the wrong serpentine belt on. My husband measured the belt and it was thirteen inches short. He was given the wrong belt.  The repairman decided he needed to get a different belt. We had to pay for his mileage to and from (he came from Missouri 1.5 hours away), weekend labor prices for trying to put on the wrong part, etc. We left the side of the turnpike 6.5 hours later with a bill of $904.00. Talked with FMCA, Safe Ride Road Assistance (FMCA contractor) and Kirk’s Mobile Repair Service. Why did I have to pay for labor time when the wrong part was sent? The repair man stated, had he known it was a motorhome he would have passed on the call. I am very disappointed FMCA Admin stated to me that they thought it was handled properly after I complained that a repair service which knew nothing about motorhomes was sent to repair the home. I am very disappointed FMCA refused to endorse any compensation. If you have any questions, contact me at mdylake70@gmail.com.

[mailman]

Members

At one time we also did the serpentine belt .

We spent many hours on the phone in my driveway just to get and have on hand

a SPARE belt before we left for the trip for a Ford E-450 2013, Class C  Winnebago Cambria.

We went to a parts house and find for that model year Ford V-10 that there was Two Sizes.

After about calling Ford Motor I had the right info.  So no matter the best thing is to have a spare belt.

Most If you have the the belt, you can almost do it yourself with a 1/2 inch breaker bar. Idle pulley.

For the heck of it I also got the belt for the HHR Chevy 2011. I also found there was different belts for it also.

As most carry a spare serpentine belt, without it your dead in the water.

Tim the Mailman

[JIMBRIANI]

On 1/19/2020 at 2:18 PM, sallylang said:

When we bought our membership to FMCA and FMCA Road Assistance we believed that FMCA was an honorable organization. We have had a very negative experience and will no longer buy a membership to FMCA. We broke down south of Topeka Kansas on a turnpike. My husband reported it was the serpentine belt. Many phone calls and texts later regarding model of motorhome, vin # of home, engine type and workhorse chassis, a repair man appeared 4 hours later. The repairman spent 1.75 hours trying to put the wrong serpentine belt on. My husband measured the belt and it was thirteen inches short. He was given the wrong belt.  The repairman decided he needed to get a different belt. We had to pay for his mileage to and from (he came from Missouri 1.5 hours away), weekend labor prices for trying to put on the wrong part, etc. We left the side of the turnpike 6.5 hours later with a bill of $904.00. Talked with FMCA, Safe Ride Road Assistance (FMCA contractor) and Kirk’s Mobile Repair Service. Why did I have to pay for labor time when the wrong part was sent? The repair man stated, had he known it was a motorhome he would have passed on the call. I am very disappointed FMCA Admin stated to me that they thought it was handled properly after I complained that a repair service which knew nothing about motorhomes was sent to repair the home. I am very disappointed FMCA refused to endorse any compensation. If you have any questions, contact me at mdylake70@gmail.com.

 

Are you saying that FMCA charges mileage for Road side assistance or is it only being charged for the additional trip?